Falmouth Road Race Welcomes Virtual Participation

On a Sunday in August for the past 43 years, thousands of runners have skirted Cape Cod’s coastline during the Falmouth Road Race, taking in panoramic views of the Martha’s Vineyard Sound and the iconic Nobaska Lighthouse before finishing beneath a giant American flag.

The seven-mile event, which starts in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, currently attracts nearly 13,000 runners, whose experience levels span the spectrum from first-timers to elites. Once a small, local affair, the race has become so popular that it uses a lottery to manage the registration process. Depending on the year, between 3,000 and 4,000 runners who enter the drawing don’t get accepted, race director Dave McGillivray told Runner’s World Newswire.

This year, however, those applicants who didn’t make the cut or simply can’t make it to Woods Hole on August 16 can still participate in the race—by running it virtually on a treadmill.

The Falmouth Road Race partnered with Outside Interactive—a company based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, which produces high-definition course videos that sync with a treadmill via their Virtual Runner app—to add a virtual race to its event.

“This is a way of giving people an experience and interconnectedness with the race if they can’t be on Cape Cod,” said Gary McNamee, who founded Outside Interactive in 2011.

McNamee called the option “paid remote participation.” Falmouth is the first event that is offering it to runners.

For $40—$25 cheaper than the standard entry fee—virtual participants will receive access to the course video on the app when the register. Through the app, the video will stream onto a runner’s tablet, computer, or television. Runners can match the video speed with their pace by attaching a footpod to their shoes or adjusting it manually on the screen. To account for elevation changes, prompts on the screen will tell runners to raise or lower the treadmill’s incline.

For the Falmouth video, footage was taken on Segways about 45 minutes before the 2013 race started. This method of filming will allow virtual runners see spectators, run past water stops, and take in as much of the race atmosphere as possible.

In addition to the course video, remote runners can download a race bib and finisher’s certificate. They will be mailed a participant shirt and race medal after the race. Finishers will be included in the official race results in a separate category where times will be self-reported and rely on the honor system.

Those who race remotely will be entered in a separate lottery for the 2016 race; they'll have an increased chance of running the race in real life next year.

McGillivray has directed hundreds of races, including the Boston Marathon and Beach to Beacon, for 35 years, and admits he’s “old school” when it comes to technology. But, he said, he doesn’t want to “close his eyes to innovation either.” He said virtual races will likely gain more traction with larger races like Falmouth that sell out.

“It’s not meant to be a replacement,” McGillivray said. “It’s an opportunity for people who could just never get to a race, whether they live in another country or they’re in the military or maybe they can’t afford to make the trip. It’s one category of participants that I’ve always thought about.

“The people who entered the lottery and didn’t get in are disappointed, I understand that,” he continued. “They’d rather be there running on the roads than simulating it on a treadmill, but this gives them an option. It doesn’t take the place of the race, and it never will, but it’s an option if they so choose to consider it.”

At press time, about 80 runners have signed up. John Walter from Chicago is one of them. He estimates he has run the Falmouth Road Race for about 15 years consecutively. This year, however, his name wasn’t chosen in the lottery.

“I grew up spending summers on Cape Cod,” said Walter, a lifelong runner. “After hearing about the race, I jumped on it and developed a love affair with the race.”

So when he learned he wouldn’t be toeing the line in Woods Hole, he was disappointed.

Walter noticed the virtual option while he was trying to register for the actual race, but didn’t pay much attention to it until he was denied a spot.

“It sounded interesting,” Walter said.“I think it offers people who had high hopes of running and ultimately don’t get in the experience to take part. $40 isn’t as cheap as I would’ve expected, but it certainly beats full-on rejection and sitting on your couch.

“I’m excited to be among one of the first groups at Falmouth to do it. It’s a nice little consolation race.”

Someone who is intimately familiar with treadmill running will also participate virtually in August. Michael Wardian, the current world record holder for 50K on a treadmill, will run remotely from his home in Arlington, Virginia. He’s run the actual race three times, with a highest placing of 26th in 2010, but he won’t be able to make the trip this year.

“It’s a tough time of year for me because there’s so many other races and events,” said Wardian, a prolific runner and winner of long-distance races on all terrains. “When I saw you could do [Falmouth] remotely, I thought it was incredible.

“Treadmills level the playing field,” he added. “A lot of people don’t have the money to do these things. [The virtual race option] makes it more equitable. It’s not that much of a barrier to entry as it might be because there are a lot of hoops you have to jump through for these events. This also allows the races to grow that much more.”

From the race’s perspective, the virtual race is a means to generate more revenue—$30 of each entrant’s fee will go to the race; Outside Interactive will get $10—and bring more attention to the event.

“It allows for global exposure not only for the race, but for its sponsors,” said McNamee, who added that there will be in-video advertising. “So far, the Falmouth video has been viewed in 100 countries. There are people in Slovenia who know what the Falmouth course looks like.”

Though added income is certainly a perk, said McGillivray, the decision to add the virtual race wasn’t financially driven.

“We’re trying to accommodate more people who want to participate at some level,” McGillivray said. “Otherwise, you get to your 12,800 participants, you shut it down, and that’s it, folks, you have to wait until next year. If people would rather [do] that, then that’s their choice.”

Whether or not the concept takes off, McGillivray said he believes it has strong potential as a training tool for runners—no matter if they’re actually running the race or participating virtually—who can use the technology to practice running the course ahead of race day.

On the Outside Interactive app, runners can currently choose from a list of 10 courses, including the Boston Marathon and the Big Sur Half Marathon, along with various scenic routes to run virtually.

“If this technology can offer another path, why not take a look?” McGillivray said. “I think it's exciting.”

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